1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a normally closed clamp and more particularly a normally closed disposable surgical clamp particularly adapted to pinch a blood vessel (artery or vein) and to prevent flow of blood through the blood vessel during surgical procedures. The clamp may be effectively used as a separator as its jaws open from the normally closed position. Two of the clamps may be joined in a useful tendon approximator for use in tendon ligating procedures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous available normally closed clamps which are employed in surgical procedures. Many of the clamps are made of stainless steel or other sterilizable materials which, because of their expense, must be recovered, autoclaved or otherwise sterilized, and reused. Many of the surgical clamps generate excessive closing pressures in their normally closed position and as a result may cause damage to the delicate walls of pinched blood vessels. Some of the available surgical clamps require special tools for opening the jaws of the clamp to receive a blood vessel. Some clamps require a special tool to re-open and remove the clamps when the surgical procedure is completed.
There is a need for a lightweight, inexpensive, sterile clamp which can be employed as a surgical clamp, easily opened when desired, providing adequate but not excess closing jaw pressure, easily removed without the need of additional tools and sufficiently inexpensive to justify single use without requiring recovery and re-sterilization.